Thursday

Hello..... I love sharing fabulous places that I've recently discovered with all of you. It's one of my favorite things to blog about. I like to spread the word about local shops & eateries.

I spent the day with my partner in crime, Tausha, who I simply adore by the way. If you don't know her you should make it a point too because she is awesome.

{You might also know her as sassystyleredesign on Instagram}

We were on a mission to find some creative inspiration as we prepare for The {Springtime} Hive coming up in a few weeks. March 13, 14 & 15th to be exact & boy, did we ever find some.

After hitting the D.I. & Darrington's in Layton

{Which is having a moving sale by the way & everything is 35% off - hurry!}

We stopped off for lunch at one of my favorite places,Plates & Palates in Bountiful, before heading into the BiG City. Sassy had never been so I was excited to take her there. Have you ever been? If not you really should grab your girlfriends, sisters, Mom & head in for lunch. Everything is scrumptious & fresh- YuM!

-We both had the Turkey Apple Panini {to die for!} & the Strawberry Salad. So good!-

Here is a pic of my tasty sandwich. It was so good, the cheese was melted & the crisp apple paired with the turkey- YuM-E!

Next on our list of places to go & explore was Maison Confiserie et Boutique{ooh-la-la!} in Salt Lake. I've been admiring this little shop on Instagram for awhile & have had it on my bucket list to visit. So happy to say that now I've been & will probably be back again soon.

Nothing gets me more excited than discovering a great, unique shop with fabulous inventory- throw in exposed brick, big glass windows & forget about it. The perfect combination of a dream shop for this Honeybee. Love the feel of the modern with the charming & unique. Got to met Beckie, the Owner, while we there & it was a delight to talk her & get to know her.

-Was greeted by this quilted guy right when you walk in the door. How lovely is that? Thought it was a fun spin on the hot trend-

This caught my eye next & I knew I in a good place! I didn't buy it but I bought a few other "bee" inspired things, the cutest cards ever. Have one hanging up in my craft room right now.

Thought this was such a clever idea. Old crates turned into mirrors & hung on the wall. Genius! Makes me what to pop out the bottom of some of my vintage crates I have lying around.

I'm also a sucker for bath toiletries. {I think that's what you call them} Bubbles, pretty soups, & of coarse any kind of metal cabinet to store them all in. How great is that turquoise cabinet, I love it! The legs on it are amazing. I might have to take my hubby back in with me to get a closer look at that.

Another thing that seems to inspire me to know end is pretty kitchen accessories & cook books. I love a great cookbook {more for the pictures though than the recipes themselves, is that weird?}

I get so inspired by the colors & pictures of food in cook books. Maison had a great variety & collection of books to thumb through.

-I think I might need to get a cow creamer one day, must be the farm girl in me. Something about them are just to cute-

More great books & look at those wooden arrows, so cool. By the way see my tootsie toes in this picture, who would have ever thought that I could wear sandals in February in Utah. We are having some strange weather ya'll. Sorry all you in the East & South are getting what we usually get.

Another charming set up. Makes me what to have a chicken coop in the back yard for some reason.

{Michelle.. did you hear that?}

-Which came first.... the chicken or the egg, hmmm-

Another favorite feature in the store was their massive candy wall! Treats & sweets of all shapes, sizes & flavors. Gooey, tangy, sour, rich, melt in your mouth.... anything. Such a great display piece. Love the fresh & clean look of the white & marble. Makes me wish for old time candy stores to reappear, convenience stores just aren't the same.

This is what they are really known for- their gigantic {& I mean big} chocolate malt balls. You can get a sample of them just for going in. Beckie was so sweet to give Sassy & I a sample. I got milk chocolate & she got dark chocolate. I should have taken a pic of what they look like when you bite into one- oooh, chocolate heaven. I think Beckie said they are triple dipped & boy, does it show. Divine!

A few more pictures of some of my favorite spots in the shop.

Ok, I'm really loving this canister set. Love that there are office supplies tucked inside but.... oh, the other possibilities.

Just loved this display on the wall. I want to find me a cool bottle jar, cup hanger like this. I think it would be fun to display my vintage pop bottle collection on.

{59 bottles & counting}

Cool apothecary feel chest & pallet hung up above. I think I need to be on the look out for some pallets lying around & bring them inside. Rustic, charming & great looking.

Do yourself a favor if you are ever headed downtown be sure to venture over to 1100 East & check out Maison, you won't be sorry. There are some great local eateries around there too that I want to go back & try sometime. Including one right next door to Maison that looked fabulous.

{From what I saw great inspiring decor as well}

Thanks for stopping by & hope this inspired you to get out there & discover something new today.*if you have a favorite place you love, leave a comment & tell me I'd love to discover it for myself.

Tuesday

You know how much I love & believe in the concept of One Little Word & the power it can have. I have thoroughly enjoyed making up so many Little Word Tiles for clients all over the country. It have been a pure delight for me. {Didn't seem like work at all!} So fun seeing pictures & hearing back from many of them. I shipped them from sea to shinning sea, including an island.

You can see some of the Little Word Tiles by searching #littlewordtiles on Instagram.

While I was busy filling orders, my daughter came up to me & asked me if I would make her one with her little word for 2014 that she chose. Her word is.......

This is the perfect word for this little girl of mine. She is always a bright spot in my day & always thinking of others & how to help, lift & encourage everyone around her. She makes me want to be a better person. I was so glad I had an orange u lying around to put into her word because orange is her favorite color.

{If you know her well you know who I'm talking about}

Came across this quote & loved it. Maybe it's because I was creating a word tile that about this very word & concept. Something to think about & try to be a little better about this week.

Have you heard? The {Springtime} Hive is in just a couple of weeks. Little Word Tiles will be available to buy there. Hope you have March 13, 14 & 15th down on your calendar. I'd love to see you there! It's going to be a fabulous show.

Wednesday

This is one of those recipes that is so good, you just might end up eating all of the dough before it even makes it to the oven. In fact, I've made this recipe before & just taken the dough {in containers} to the neighbors for them to enjoy by the spoonful. It really is that good! Sometimes the dough is better than the cookie but in this case both are just as tasty.

I have a long history with this cookie recipe. I made up a batch of these when I was in the 4th grade & taking 4-H cooking classes in the summer. I won a Blue Ribbon at the County Fair & then a Red Ribbon at the Utah State Fair with this recipe. The name New Jersey Cookies comes from my Mom growing up in New Jersey. She entered this recipe {of her Mom's} into a contest & needed a cute name to go along with them. Doesn't it sound much better than just saying Oatmeal Choc. Chip Cookies?

New Jersey sounds much more exiting don't you think ;)

-Notice on the recipe card I have my Mom wrote, Don't Triple! That's because my little brother & his friends got the bright idea to triple this recipe one day. I'm pretty sure they ate most of them by themselves before the rest of the family got home. Teenagers!-

New Jersey Cookies

1 C. Butter {softened}

1 C. Sugar

1 C. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla

1tsp. Soda

1tsp. Salt

3 C. Oatmeal

1 pkg. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Cream butter & sugars together then add eggs. Add soda, salt, flour, oatmeal & vanilla to the sugar mixture and mix together well. Add chocolate chips in at the end & give it a good mix. When everything is combined set in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. {Hard to wait, I know but it will be worth it!}

* Don't skip the chill in the fridge part, I think that is the key. Try not to eat all the dough either!

-Enjoy!!-

Some cute, happy girls with a yummy after school snack. They were so happy to see cookies sitting on the counter right out of the oven. You'll notice that I saved some cookie dough for Mace to dig into. She LOVES it!

Tuesday

I can feel Spring, can you? There has been a lot of melting going on around my neck of the woods & the grass is even showing {which is very rare around these parts for February} I know we could use more snow & I know that some of you are getting pounded by it where you live but I'm embracing the little bit of Springtime in the air & taking it with me into my craft room to start creating because....

I always get giddy when I start thinking of putting this all together. More details, dates & times to come as well as the vendor line-up so stay tuned. Also a very exciting announcement for all you out there who live out of state & can't get to The Hive but would love to come, shop & get a little taste of what The Hive has to offer. Oooohhh, have I got something up my sleeve for you. Stay tuned!

Wednesday

My motto for decorating our home for Valentines Day this year was K.I.S.S.

{Keep It Simple & Sweet}

I got this dusty rose colored vase from my Grandma Hall's home a few months ago. I thought it would look perfect for Valentines Day with the soft pink & bright gold. It was my Great Grandmother Larsen's, such a beautiful heirloom.

I just wanted some colorful, sweet & easy to set up decor. So of coarse my go-to, is garlands & flowers. Stringing garlands above my island is a must whenever there is a holiday approaching. Such a delightful way to celebrate!

-Made this ribbon garland a few years ago using pics of our girls. I love it!-

When I snagged this pop bottle in No. Carolina a few years ago, I had high hopes of using it for Valentines Decor. But I love it so much it stays out year round on the window sill, above the sink & holds the lemon dish soap. Makes doing dishes seem not a chore.

-How cute is that little white lip outline, darling!-

Another score from my Grandma Hall's home was finding vintage Valentine seals & stickers in her desk drawers. So sentimental & sweet. Going to attach one to the Valentine I'm sending her this week.

This display in the mudroom is just simple & sweet. Love written out as simply as it can be on the chalkboard heart & marquee board. Nothing too fancy but you get the point.

{little garlands on the marquee board add the perfect touch}

These paper handmade hearts that hang on the pegs are a Q family tradition. I made them years ago. They are pouches & get filled with lots of treats & little trinkets on Valentines morning. The girls wake up to find them hanging in their room somewhere. Each year I think we'll do something different but the girls absolutely love this. Aren't traditions a beautiful thing?

Monday

So excited to share with you today one of my FaVORiTE days of the year- Collage Day! I've told you about this beforeon my blog. Such a fun activity! This is something you could do with your own children, sisters, church youth group or a bunch of girlfriends. The idea is that you create something that will inspire you to look at. Set it out somewhere that you see often as a reminder of goals, dreams & aspirations for the year.

On your mark, get set, Gooooo! The first thing to do is just spend the time thumbing through the pages. Tearing out ANYTHING that jumps out at you. It could be a word, a picture, a letter, specific colors whatever grabs your attention, don't question why just tear it out & set it aside to cut up later. You'll have quite a pile set aside at the end trust me, then once you go back through you can decide to keep or get rid of what you had earlier ripped out.

Love to get watch everyone at work. So fun to see what they rip out & show to one another. It's so cute to see them show someone something that they think they might like & want. So thoughtful & sweet. I think all of us really get to learn more about each other participating in this each year.

-Early on, magazines are still somewhat organized & stacked, it's going to get messy in a while & that's totally ok!-

-These 3, had a BLaST! Showing off what they have found so far-

Rule #1: Don't worry about the mess! {Sometimes hard for me to follow} If it doesn't hit the garbage can it's ok. You don't want to stifle your creative juices by stopping to clean up scraps the whole day long.

Don't forget to have yummy snacks & grab & go things for lunch. Nobody wanted to stop to eat they were having so much fun. But we each took the time to make own individual pizzas though & then went right back to ripping, cutting & glueing.

These 2 are focused! Lots of cutting going on.

This one even went onto the floor to work. The table got to crowded with pages, magazine, elbows flying around busy cutting & glueing. Glad she found a space to work on her 4 collages. Sometimes it's hard to just limit all the good stuff you discovered to one page. {Cute kids!}

-Fun to see what everyone goes for to finish their collages. It can all be pictures or might be words. Whatever it is it's always positive & inspiring-

Remember what I told you about the mess? Let it go... Let it go..... just pick it all up at the end. Thought this was a funny shot to show you just how much good clean fun comes along with this project.

{This was probably half way through the process}

The kids will LOVE to clean up when you ask them too. These 2 just dove right in to help pick up all the mess. Thanks Em & D!

-Layla & Mace. Even this little girl was hard at work most of the afternoon, cutting out & glueing lots of animals onto her collage. Mace created some pretty awesome ones too-

-Remember bring magazines for everyone! Glad there were lots of Sports Illustrated to cut up for the sports lovers in our family. -

Now for the finished products. I really do love seeing what everyone turns out at the end of the day. This is a great way to learn about others, see what inspires them, what their goals & hobbies are.

-Audrey, one of her, love all the colors she used!-

-Bella, she LOVES animals & BaCON!-

-This is one of Macey's 3 collages. She loves to put them in her binders at school. Makes me happy to know that she is carrying reminders around with her all day long of the goals & vision she has for her future-

-Vanessa's, can you tell she's a Math Teacher? Numbers, numbers, numbers! I wish I had her brain, it would make helping 3 kids with homework each night so much easier-

- My nephew, Davis, with 2 of his 4 collages. This kid was cutting out for an hour & I'm not kidding! He LOVES sports, can you tell. He is a great little athlete himself-

-Me with mine. Apparently I'm drawn to blues & yellows this year. Must be the SV Bobcat in me. I have thought of changing up our master bedroom this year & using these colors, we'll see-

-Em went with lots of words this year. Powerful, strong & inspiring words that I hope she looks at & remembers everyday-As I said earlier it's so fun to see everyone's personality & creativity shine when doing this activity. Absolutely loved the corner of one of Davis' collages that he pieced together. What a great motto to have.

-Believe, can, do DONE!-

Hope this has inspired you to try this activity. It's not to late in the year {Hello.... it's only Feb. 10th} to plan a collage day with your family or friends. The most important thing though is don't forget to display it somewhere that you see each & every day. Place it in your room, by a mirror, in a binder, frame it & put on a shelf... so many possibilities.

The Shop is open

Well.....

Turn your Instagram pictures into books!

About Me

Thanks to my name meaning Honeybee in Greek & my love for flowers, Hollyhocks & Honeybees {my business} got it's name. I have a charming little studio in my house to create in {blessed} Married to one great guy & Mom to 3 amazing girls.